Carol Ancelotti denies feud with Rodrygo after subbing the Brazilian off

Carol Ancelotti played down the rollicking he gave Rodrygo when he took the Brazilian off in the second half of Real Madrid's dramatic win over Villarreal.

'I told him not to forget to offer me his hand when he was substituted. I think he forgot,' said the Italian coach after the 3-2 win.

Ancelotti could be seen talking sternly to the winger as he sat long-faced on the bench after being replaced by eventual match winner Dani Ceballos.

Ancelotti also played down the clash between Pepe Reina and Vinicius in the heated second half.

'Reina was a bit upset with Vinicius, it was nothing more than that,' he said. 'Vinicius was kicked a lot during the game, as always.'

Reina shouted down Vinicius from the bench when the winger went down holding his face after taking a hit from Aissa Mendy.

He appeared to insult him and promise that he would see him after the game before being booked. He did seek him out on 90 minutes but they appeared to make peace as they made their way off the pitch.

Ancelotti said he was delighted with the win adding: 'We were not good in the first half but the team showed great character in the second. We fought for everything and changed the story of the game.'

The victory will ease the pressure building on Ancelotti although there maybe more fires to put out in the coming days.

Midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni was watching the NBA Chicago Bulls v Detroit Pistons game in Paris as his team toiled at the Ceramica Stadium. The France midfielder is recovering from an injury and was unavailable for the game.